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GREENSBORO — Air-quality work at one elementary school likely will dip into funds set aside for other projects.

School district officials told the Guilford County Board of Education on Tuesday night that work being done at Oak Ridge Elementary likely will exceed the $410,000 the board set aside.

Officials told school board members that the work already under way at the school and work placed out for bid is estimated at $450,000. The estimate does not include several needed major repairs and other work that might crop up.

Sharon Ozment, chief financial officer for Guilford County Schools, told the board she is looking at paying for the work with money left over from the 2000 and 2003 bond projects, which came in under budget.

She also is looking into using money the board set aside for things such as possible heating and air-conditioning improvements . The money is not allocated for specific schools.

“I would say to you: It’s probably a little more than we were thinking,” Leo Bobadilla, the district’s chief of operations, told board members.

Oak Ridge Elementary staff and students have complained since 2005 — when major renovations and additions were completed — about illnesses such as runny and bloody noses, headaches and fatigue. Many staff and parents blame the school building’s air quality for the sicknesses.

Construction problems, including issues with the sewer system and roof leaks, plagued Oak Ridge before it was completed, reports show. School employees found mold on books, furniture and other places in the school before and after it opened.

The school system has spent more than $600,000 in the past four years trying to eliminate mold , address humidity concerns, and find and fix anything at the school that might be causing the illnesses.

Officials recently decided to close the building temporarily while completing work on the latest recommendations from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

Oak Ridge Elementary students and staff are attending class at four different locations, including three district schools and Oak Ridge Military Academy.

It is still unclear when NIOSH inspectors will deliver a final report on their findings. That report could result in more work at the school, Bobadilla said.

The school board has allocated money in the current budget to pay for those costs.

“We want to do this right,” Board Chairman Alan Duncan said.

“The worst thing that we could do is have consultants guide you on what is appropriate and federal officials guide you and fail to follow through on that.”

In other business, the school board:

• Approved naming the new Northeast High gym after teacher and coach John Primm.
• Heard a presentation on a program that pays incentives to high school math teachers. The program has been under way for three years and, according to the report, has seen improvement in recruiting and retaining teachers.

Contact J. Brian Ewing at 373-7351 or brian.ewing@news-record.com